Sunday, March 12, 2017

Georgia on my Mind

It seems like a lot of time is spent waiting in lines in New Orleans, either for food or for jazz. The guys did a lot of that on our free night, with varying rates of success...

At Café Du Mond for beignets...

Many visited the famous Preservation Hall for a little jazz...

Surprisingly, everyone made it onto the bus the next morning, and we actually left a little early. It was a very, very, very, very, very long drive to Atlanta, but Mike, our excellent driver, got us to Morehouse College right on time for a rehearsal exchange with the legendary Morehouse College Glee Club and their fantastic conductor, David Morrow.

After eating some pizza, we warmed up and David and I each taught a spiritual arrangement to the combined choir. David took us through his arrangement of Who'll Join! and I led everyone in Paul Rudoi's arrangement of Yonder Come Day. It was great to get to see "how the other half lives" and make music with our brethren in song.

After a quiet night in a downtown hotel, the guys left for the long drive to Charlottesville. Everyone made it back safely, not too much the worse for wear. We were gone 7 days, ate at at least 6 different fast food chains, visited 5 states, had 4 singers lose their voices, used 3 buses (and 3 vans), sang with 2 choirs (it would've been 4 if the bus hadn't broken down), and Frank got 1 tattoo (long story). We made some good music, made some new friends, and made some indelible memories that will last until at least the next time we get on a bus!